If the Bruins are going to finish this season strong and hold onto a playoff spot, they're going to need Jeremy Swayman to be on his game. The formula for this team to win consistently falls apart pretty quickly if he's not.
Perhaps that is why some Boston fans and media criticized Swayman last week when the Bruins' coaching staff determined that not only was Swayman not ready to start Boston's first game post-Olympics, but he wasn't even ready to dress.
Celebrating Team USA's first Olympic gold medal in 46 years was not a satisfactory explanation for his harshest critics. The Bruins winning that first game back without him did not let Swayman off the hook in their eyes.
Whether or not Swayman or anyone else on the Bruins cared about that chatter, it was hard to shake the feeling that Swayman's next couple games were going to be big – not just to quiet his detractors, but also because every game for the Bruins is big at this point, and these last few games before Friday's trade deadline even more so.
Swayman played well Saturday in Philadelphia, but the Bruins lost 3-1. Dating back to before the Olympics, they had suddenly lost three of four, and their lead for the final wild card spot in the East was down to two points.
So yeah, Tuesday night's game against Pittsburgh was a big one, arguably the biggest of the season. And Swayman rose to the occasion, stopping 34 of 35 shots in a shutdown performance to lead the Bruins to a 2-1 win over the Penguins.
"He's Sway again," Bruins coach Marco Sturm said after the game. "Like, just exactly the guy we had all year long. He came back, his [first] practice was a wild one. He was great in Philly. Unfortunately, we didn't get him the win, but he was excellent. But the way he played today I think was even better. He made the great saves. And just the way, if you look at him, the way he smiles, the way he talks, now I think it's back to normal, back to the old Sway. He was the reason why we won this game today."
Sturm fed into last week's narrative a bit when he praised Joonas Korpisalo for getting back from the Olympics earlier and getting in more practice time, with some interpreting that as a shot at Swayman. Sturm's comments on Tuesday reinforce the notion that he clearly didn't think Swayman looked like himself last Wednesday when he first rejoined the team.
Perhaps that will still be reason to criticize Swayman for some, but all that really matters at this point is that Swayman is back in form now. And make no mistake: Swayman has been in form most of this season, contrary to what some seem to think.
After Tuesday's win, Swayman is now third in the NHL in goals saved above expected (+19.2), trailing only Ilya Sorokin of the Islanders and Logan Thompson of the Capitals. He is tied for seventh in 5-on-5 save percentage (.925), tied for fifth in high-danger save percentage (.864), and tied for sixth in wins (23).
"To be honest, I feel like it's most nights, or every night," Casey Mittelstadt said Tuesday when asked about Swayman being 'on.' "So yeah, it gives the guys in front of him a lot of confidence to know he's back there. I think the major thing is he makes big saves at big times. Very impressive. We're lucky he's on our side."
After Tuesday, the Bruins are now three points ahead of Columbus in the wild card race (both 60 games played) and four ahead of Washington (63 games played). They are also just three points behind Detroit (61 games played) for third in the Atlantic Division. Next up for the Bruins is a trip to Nashville on Thursday.